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FBI asked former mob underboss if James Comey knew slang meaning of '86', court filing shows

A defense affidavit in the former FBI director's threat case details an interview with Salvatore Gravano regarding mob terminology.

Updated Aug 24, 2026 · 00:33 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • An FBI case agent interviewed former Gambino crime family underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano regarding whether former FBI Director James Comey would know the slang meaning of "86" from his past mob prosecutions.
  • Gravano stated his belief that Comey "had to know" the term referred to killing, though he did not recall ever discussing it with Comey, and FBI records revealed no mention of the phrase in past case materials.
  • Comey's defense cited the interview in a motion to dismiss federal charges that allege a May 2025 Instagram post of seashells spelling "86 47" was a threat against President Donald Trump.

Key facts

  • The FBI interviewed Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano by phone in May 2026 to inquire about James Comey's understanding of the term "86" based on Comey's 1990s prosecution of the Gambino crime family.[Fox News]
  • Gravano told the FBI agent that to him as a gangster the term means "to kill" and asserted his belief that Comey "had to know" that meaning, but noted he did not recall ever speaking about the term with Comey.[Fox News]
  • According to the defense affidavit, searches conducted by the FBI of the historical Gambino prosecution materials found no references to the term "86".[Fox News]
  • Comey faces federal charges for threatening the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce over a May 2025 Instagram post showing seashells spelling "86 47".[Fox News]
  • Comey has maintained that he photographed an existing seashell arrangement on a beach without realizing some viewed it as a violent message, and deleted the post once he learned of that interpretation.[Fox News]

What remains uncertain

  • Whether the court will find sufficient evidence of criminal intent to allow the charges against Comey to proceed to trial remains pending.[Fox News]

Sources